3 out of 5

Art: gorgeous.  Story: a little bit too fractured to work on its own, ‘Zegas’ 0 is a bits and pieces collection of stuff that would lead up to issues 1 and 2, which I assume flesh out the world a bit more.  Taken along with a more ongoing story, I can see this 0 book as being more compelling, but as Fiffe’s note indicates in the front, it’s more of a labor of love, as he preferred to see this stuff in print versus the web.  He also accounts for the book’s quirky setting – his love of both European realism and surrealism leading to the middleground which ‘Zegas’ occupies.  Brother and sister Boston and Emily live together and speak of extending the ‘Zegas’ lineage… not likely to happen since Emily ain’t havin’ no babies and Boston is an anti-social writer who loathes going outside.  And outside there is a sandstorm, guarded by a faceless ‘mayor,’ and a plant with a tit that grants wishes… and then the city, which could be like any other sorta-future city but isn’t because Fiffe’s creativity makes the setting his own.

Fiffe’s grace with forms and layouts gives the characters full life immediately and, though this is more ‘slice of life’ stuff than the hero book ‘Copras,’ unique paneling and world design give the scenes plenty of motion.  While his geometric doodles do come into play (‘Copras’ reminded me of Moynihan… in ‘Zegas’ I see it as part of the Stokoe school of uber-detailed impossibilities that somehow make immediate sense within the scene), some of the most amazing moments are completely normal – one scene in particular caught my eye where Emily is unplugging a fan.  The whipping of the cord, the precise use of color versus inks, and the character’s pose, all tell of unbelievable mastery of design.

One story about a date is cute and we’ve all sorta been there, and one story about caring for a cactus leans more toward the fantastic.  In-between are some pinups, a ‘Throbbing Gristle show review’ done cartoon style which I’m not sure why it was included except that it needed to be somewhere… and yes, it’s fun just to see groups like Whitehouse get name-checked… and then a closing character roster.

As a primer for a series, it works.  I want to read more ‘Zegas.’  But on its own it feels a little lonely.